Understanding Behavior and How to Manage It

One of our three key areas to balance is what we call behavior. Behavior should not literally be how we behave, rather it's the critical habits, and activities needed to push sales forward. Logically, behaviors are things like, requests for referral’s, prospecting calls, appointments scheduled, face to face meetings held, closing sales, and any other specific activity that can be tracked and would lead up to an eventual sale and revenue.

How do you monitor your behavior? How do you determine what is the correct amount of behavior to be doing? Recently Sales Concepts invested in some new technology to help both our own organization and potentially our clients to maintain a healthy understanding of this behavior. Most salespeople need assistance when it comes to tracking and managing behavior. Accountability is often a missing link in developing the habits needed to achieve consistent success.

Do you have a realistic plan for your activity? Are you consistent with those habits? Do you know where to focus the training or management help to improve your performance? How effective are your sales tools to stay on task and how well have you structured a support system to make sure behavior happens? Ask yourself these questions or call Sales Concepts for help at 440-575-7000.

“Three Tips for Selling Today!”

Recently we were approached by a local media staging company (that shall remain nameless) to quote us on an upcoming event that we will be having in March. The salesperson was well spoken and articulated very well what she and her organization would be able to do for our company. However, this salesperson missed these three very important tips that we would like to share with you.

First, (this is by far one of the most important steps) set an agenda for the meeting. What is the reason for getting together? What is the discussion going to entail? What should the prospect have prepared for the meeting? So many sales people go into meetings with a ton of mutual mystification. They assume that what they are going to present is what the prospect is looking to see.

Second, get your prospects talking. Salespeople generally love to talk about the product or service that they are selling. Resist the urge. You may have heard the saying before, “ask questions, better yet ask open ended questions”. The way to ensure the question is open ended is to begin with an interrogative, Who, What, Where, When, Why or How. If you are starting your questions with anything else you are probably getting very short answers.

Lastly, get a clear understanding of what your next steps are. So many times salespeople will leave meetings with an idea of what next steps are; unfortunately they learn later that their idea of next steps and their prospect’s idea of next steps are not close to the same. Far too often the salesperson thinks they are moving closer to a deal and the prospect is just glad the meeting is over!

Want to learn more! Control your sales calls by calling (440)575-7000.

“Sales Success Triangle”

What does it take to be successful? First, what is success? Success is one of those terms that could mean many things to various people. Often, it is associated with money and material things…suffice it to say, you are successful if you are among the best at what you do.

That being said, how do you become a successful salesperson? The key word is balance. Successful salespeople have mastered equal amounts of Behavior, Attitude and Technique. Picture a triangle with three equal sides, the minute one leg of the triangle gets shorter the space inside is reduced dramatically. In the same way salespeople need equal amounts of all three key components.

Behavior is doing the things that generate sales, every day. Top salespeople know exactly how much behavior needs to be done daily, monthly and even annually to reach their goals. Good examples of Behavior may be dials, walk-ins, contacts, appointments, referrals and sales. Make sure you know what to track and how many are needed daily.

Attitude sounds like a simple concept, stay “positive”. A positive attitude is really only masking the true issue. Great salespeople effectively control the Attitudes or feelings they have about so many different pieces of their life. To be successful you need the correct Attitude about things like, your product or service, your company, your clients and prospects, your competition, and the economy as a whole. Unfortunately, many miss the most important Attitude of all…how you feel about yourself.

Technique is the manner in which you carry out sales. That is, what you say, who you say it to and how you say it. Technique also gives you skills to escape difficult situations, or control meetings and conversations. Technique is having a systematic approach to the sales process, so you always know exactly what to do next. All these skills are demonstrated in such a way that your prospects feel like you have their best interest in mind…that is great Technique.

Success comes with a constant balance within your ”Sales Success Triangle”. Think about this before your next sales call, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

“Want to Sell More, Start with your Clients”

Maybe it is the Holiday Season, but it’s also a time to reflect. As we make time to go see clients, share Holiday wishes and hope for a New Year a question becomes apparent, are we spending enough time with our clients?

In an effort to SELL MORE shouldn't we be more focused on our current clients? When we are in front of clients good things happen: referrals, new business opportunities, improved customer retention and maybe, best of all, the ability to maintain reasonable margins. Stale client relationships become commodity transactions, we all need to try and maintain healthy, growing relationships with our customer base. As better vendors we can help anticipate problems and changes in market conditions, we might even find some new problems we can help solve.

As you reflect on the year that has been, make every effort to “Start with your Clients” to grow your business, or call Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000 for help.

“No More Million Dollar Presentations”

Have you ever finished what felt like a great meeting, only to end up in the same old chase mode? Why does this happen?

Many salespeople comment how excited the prospect was when they were presenting their product or service, “they loved it, now I can’t get them to answer the phone”. Amateur salespeople think the sale is closed in the Presentation, great salespeople have learned it is all about solid questioning and listening techniques. Prospects close themselves when we learn their true buying motives, budgets, and decision making process.

Million Dollar Presentations lead to unqualified prospects, too many proposals and wasted time following up with people who will never buy. The result of these problems is prospects controlling your sales success. Antiquated presentations should now be replaced with Fulfillment, or helping the prospect understand how we will fix their pain.

Always focus on your customer and avoid the pitfalls of the Million Dollar Presentation.
Think about this before your next sales call or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

“What Is A Real Referral”

Have you ever received what you thought was a referral? Often times the prospect does not know why you are calling or who you even are…is that really a referral?

A referral is not a recommendation to call someone, it is also not, “these people could really use someone like you”. Real referrals are people who have problems, want to fix them, and are expecting your call.

Professionally trained salespeople develop techniques on how to ask for referrals and more importantly have the referrer set up the referral properly. Referrals are the single best source of new business, yet too many salespeople are spending time either not asking for referrals, or accepting imitations.

Help your clients discover, “What Is A Real Referral” and close more sales.

Think about this before your next client meeting, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

“If Your Competition Does It, Stop Doing It Right Away”

We all have competitors, so what is the best way to deal with them? If Your Competition Does It, Stop Doing It Right Away.

What will this accomplish? Differentiation. One of the keys of closing and keeping business is being different. Competitive advantage greatly increases the probability you or your salespeople will sell. Understanding your market will help you create different products or services that will make you stand out.

Are you tired of Price Pressure? You cannot be a commodity if you are different than your competition. Do you grow weary of Comparison Shoppers? If you are different you will easily separate yourself from the pack.

How about cold calling and looking for appointments? If you look and sound like all your competitors, all salespeople for that matter, your prospects are justified in blowing you off. Try to differentiate yourself and your company in everything you do.

Remember, “If Your Competition Does It, Stop Doing It Right Away”, separate yourself from your competition. Think about this before your next sales call, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

"Why Mailing Literature Fails"

Literature informs, but people sell. How many times have you forgotten that in your sales career?

Traditionally, sales people bombard prospects with literature and information that most people never read and are usually thrown away. People will buy a $50,000 automobile and never read the owner's manual -- yet we think our prospects are going to read 5 page color brochures cover to cover?

Prospects who ask for literature are typically trying to get rid of you. Learning how to get past the "Send Me Literature" objection is one of many skills that separate the exceptional salespeople from the rest. Stand your ground and help your prospect discover "Why Mailing Literature Fails".

Think about this before your next sales call, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.

“Fantastic Salesperson or Just a Really Good Interviewer”

One of the toughest and most frustrating parts of growing a business can occur in the hiring of a “Salesperson”. Whether it is your first hire or it is your twentieth hire the task can be both daunting and aggravating.

How many times have you hired an individual that interviewed with you and they had all the right answers. They were polished and professional, they carried themselves with confidence, and they were able to handle people effectively (or so it seemed).

Fast forward, two, four, even six months down the road, meeting after meeting they have excuses of why they aren’t meeting their numbers. You the owner or the manager are working with them aimlessly to help them. After a few months of struggling, they either leave your organization or you are forced to let them go.

Why? They interviewed so well, they seemed to have all the skills of a successful salesperson. I wonder what the issue was that resulted in their failure. The answer is simple, it was yours. The individual, was a “Good Interviewer” but a “Fantastic Salesperson” they were not.

There is a solution to this hiring issue. Systematize your hiring process. Don’t simply interview the person, but figure out the individuals beliefs. Do they like to prospect, are they a true hunter? What skills does the individual have in regards to Sales?

If you are struggling to find the perfect salesperson for your organization, give Sales Concepts a call at 440-575-7000.

"Are You on Track with Your Goals?"

As we move into the halfway point of the second quarter are you on track with the goals that you have set for yourself for 2009? The plan that you have created to obtain these goals, is it working?

One of the issues we have as business owners and salespeople, we are not holding ourselves or our salespeople accountable to the goals that have been set. The first question you have to ask yourself, where am I now in terms of revenue, opportunities with prospects, and my forecast of future sales?

The second question you need to be asking yourself, is my plan working? The time that you spend either with groups and associations, is it yielding any business for yourself and your company? The behaviors that you have implemented, are they effective in getting your message out to the market place?

In reviewing all of your goals what you should start to see is a trend. Some groups and associations will yield you more results than others. Behaviors such as cold calling, networking events, and referrals will produce other outcomes. The key here is to be sure that you are spending your time wisely and if you aren’t getting results from a certain activity or behavior change it NOW!

If you need help with your goals or the implementation of your plan give Sales Concepts a call 440-575-7000

"Do you Sell, Or Do You Tell?"

Salespeople love to talk, especially about the features and benefits they are in love with. Have you ever talked too much and actually talked the customer out of the sale?

Did you ever stop to think that all this talking may be doing more harm than good?

As the prospect, do you wish the salesperson would just shut up? How did you feel when the salesperson talked too much? Comfortable? Probably not. Remember, people buy from people that they are comfortable with. Selling is asking the right questions, not telling your prospects about features and benefits. You will gain greater trust with your prospect if You Sell, Not Tell!

Think about this before your next sales call, or ask for help from Sales Concepts at 440-575-7000.